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Knowing
the Bible
Bible
Translation of
The story is told of four
ministers discussing the pros and cons of various bible translations and
paraphrases. Eventually each stated which version
in his opinion
is the best.
The first minister said he used the King James because the Old English style is
beautiful and produces the most reverent picture of the Holy Scriptures. The
second said he preferred the New American Standard Bible because he felt it
comes nearer to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The third minister said
his favorite was the paraphrased Living Bible because his congregation was
young
and it related to them in a practical way.
All
three men waited while the fourth minister sat silently. Finally he said
“I
guess when it comes to translations and paraphrased editions of the Bible
I
like my Dad’s translation best. He put the Word of God into practice every day.
It was the most convincing translation I’ve ever seen.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Bible
Hatred of
It is told that many years
ago
while on a visit to England
a wealthy businessman was fascinated by a
powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals
of flowers
he was amazed at their beauty and detail. He decided to purchase a
microscope and take it back home. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day
he examined some food he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay
he
discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in it. Since he was
especially fond of this particular food
he wondered what to do. Finally
he
concluded that there was only one way out of his dilemma—he would destroy the
instrument that caused him to discover the distasteful fact. So he smashed the
microscope to pieces!
“How
foolish!” you say. But many people do the same thing with the Word of God. They
hate it and would like to get rid of it because it reveals their evil nature.
Bible
Knowledge of
There is a story about a
New England teacher who quizzed a group of college-bound high-school juniors
and seniors on the Bible. The quiz preceded a “Bible as Literature” class he
planned to teach at
Other
students thought that the four horsemen appeared “on the Acropolis
” that the
New Testament Gospels were written by Matthew
Mark
“Luther
” and John
that
Eve was created “from an apple
” and that Jesus was “Baptized by Moses.” The
answer that took the misinformation prize was given by a fellow who was
academically in the top 5 percent of the graduating class. The question: “What
was
Bible
“Problem” Passages in
Mark Twain once said: “Most
people are bothered by those passages of Scripture which they cannot understand;
but as for me
I have always noticed that the passages in Scripture which
trouble me most are those which I do understand.”
Bible
Context in
There is a story of two
lawyers on opposing sides of a case. During the trial
one thought he would make
a great impression on the jury by quoting from the Bible. So he said
concerning his opponent’s client
“We have it on the highest authority that
‘All that a man has will he give for his skin.’”
The
other lawyer knew the Bible better. He said
“I am very much impressed by the
fact that my distinguished colleague here regards as the highest authority the
one who said
‘All that a man has will he give for his skin.’ You will find
that this saying comes from the Book of Job and the one who utters it is the
devil. And that is who he regards as the highest authority!”
Bible
Context in
On a Christmas card the
following verse was cited: “They exchanged gifts and made merry…(Rev. 11:10).”
The context of the verse
which describes anything but what it appeared to mean
on the Christmas greeting
is rejoicing over the death of God’s two witnesses
at the hand of the beast.
The Bible
In 1989
Americans purchased Harlequin
romance novels at the rate of 7191 per hour. If only God's people would show a
similar interest in his word!
The Bible
As an illustration of
"learned" scholars tampering with the Scriptures
I quote from a
newspaper article: "An
electronic computer figures that St. Paul is the author of only four of the 14
epistles attributed to him in the New Testament. Two researchers fed the computer a
quarter of a million words of Greek prose to
reach this conclusion. They said the method could be used to
determine the authorship of any part of the Bible."
Truly
amazing - a mindless machine questioning the Word of God! If its findings were
correct
they would make Paul a liar
for he claims the authorship of at least
13 of the epistles. Just think
a
lifeless mechanism "proving" that the Bible is not true! The computer is now a disputer. Strangely enough
it was proven by the
same computer analysis that the man who wrote the book about these
conclusions couldn't have been its author.
The Bible
Henry Ford is credited with saying
"Cut your own wood and you
warm yourself twice." What he meant was that the man who chops
his own firewood not only enjoys the heat from the logs burning in his
fireplace
but he also gets physically warmed from the exercise involved in his
labor.
If you
really want to enjoy your Bible
you should "cut your own wood" by
studying things for yourself. Check
the cross references
look up the meaning of key words
and ask God to show you
how the passage on which you are meditating applies to your life. The truth you discover for yourself in
the Word will have a fresh
new flavor.
Have
you tried to "cut your own wood?"
The Bible
The heads of a thousand major American
companies and twelve hundred universities were asked which book had the most
influence on their lives and far and away the number one book was the Bible.
--Associated Press
The Bible
A 91-year-old woman wrote
"I
spend about one hour each day with my Lord
reading my Bible and Christian
literature. When people ask what
good all my reading does if I can't remember what I've read
my answer is always
the same. I'm in pretty good
health
have a roof over my head
and have plenty of food to eat... I also have
two sons and one grandson who love me dearly. My cup runneth over. I am not concerned about my memory. I just do my reading and God does the
remembering."
Does
the way look dark? Keep reading
God's Word. if you can no longer
read
listen to it on tapes. Thank
the Lord daily for meeting your physical needs. Draw on the support of other Christians.
Even
if you forget God's promises
you'll discover that He never forgets them. He'll strengthen you and stand with you.
Did You Know The Bible
Did you know -
* That the longest verse in the Bible
is Esther 8:9 (91 words)?
* That the shortest verse in the Bible
is John 11:35 (2 words)?
* That the NIV has two
"shortest" verses: John
11:35 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (2 words each)?
* That there are 1189 chapters in the
Bible?
* That there are 31
102 verses in the
Bible? 7957 of these are in the New
Testament
and 23
145 are in the Old Testament.
* That the RSV has one more verse than
the KJV? The extra verse is 3 John
1:15.
* That the longest word in the Bible
is Jonathelemrechokim? It occurs in
the title of Psalm 56.
* That there are 790
704 words in the
Bible
but only 12
775 different words?
* That there are 180
392 words in the
New Testament and 610
312 words in the Old Testament?
* That in the RSV
Exodus 22:4 is
printed between Exodus 22:1 and Exodus 22:2?
(Unless otherwise noted
all facts relate
to the King James Version)
Did You Know The Bible
Did you know -
* That the longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 (91
words)?
* That the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35 (2
words)?
* That the NIV has two "shortest" verses: John 11:35 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (2
words each)?
* That there are 1189 chapters in the Bible?
* That there are 31
102 verses in the Bible? 7957 of these are in the New Testament
and 23
145 are in the Old Testament.
* That the RSV has one more verse than the KJV? The extra verse is 3 John 1:15.
* That the longest word in the Bible is
Jonathelemrechokim? It occurs in
the title of Psalm 56.
* That there are 790
704 words in the Bible
but only
12
775 different words?
* That there are 180
392 words in the New Testament and
610
312 words in the Old Testament?
* That in the RSV
Exodus 22:4 is printed between Exodus
22:1 and Exodus 22:2?
(Unless
otherwise noted
all facts relate to the King James Version)
── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
I was never out of my
Bible.
John Bunyan.
I am a man of one
Book.
John Wesley.
It seems that famed
scientist Albert Einstein had more trouble finding his way home from work than
he did finding the key to atomic power. One evening as Einstein sat deep in
thought aboard the train that brought him home each night
the porter
approached to collect his ticket. Einstein rummaged around in his coat
through
his pockets
in his shirt
and everywhere else he could think of
growing
alarmed at his inability to find the ticket. "That's okay
Dr.
Einstein
" said the porter. "I know you ride this train every day. I
can collect tomorrow." "That's fine for you
young man
"
Einstein replied
"but how am I supposed to get off the train without my
ticket?"
Source Unknown.
The Bible is a window in
this prison-world
through which we may look into eternity.
Timothy Dwight.
The inspiration of the
Bible depends on the ignorance of the gentleman who reads it.
R.G. Ingersoll.
Hold fast to the Bible as
the sheet-anchor of your liberties. Write its precepts in your hearts
and
practise them in your lives.
U.S. Grant.
The Bible is like a
telescope. If a man looks through his telescope he sees worlds beyond; but if
he looks at his telescope
he does not see anything but that. The Bible is a
thing to be looked through to see that which is beyond; but most people only
look at it and so they see only the dead letter.
Phillip Brooks.
In 1915
A Russian
Armenian was reading his Bible when he was beheaded. I saw the Bible--large
thick
and well used. Inside was a reddish stain that permeated most of the
book. The stain was the blood of this man
one of more than a million
casualties of a religious and ethnic holocaust. About 70 years later a large
shipment of bibles entered Romania from the West
and Ceausescu's (dictator of
Romania) lieutenants confiscated them
shredded them
and turned them into
pulp. Then they had the pulp reconstituted into toilet paper and sold to the
West.
Robert A Seiple
president
World Vision
June-July
1990.
A Bible in the hand is
worth two in the bookcase.
Traditional.
Men do not reject the
Bible because it contradicts itself
but because it contradicts them.
Traditional.
A former park ranger at
Yellowstone National Park tells the story of a ranger leading a group of hikers
to a fire lookout. The ranger was so intent on telling the hikers about the
flowers and animals that he considered the messages on his two-way radio
distracting
so he switched it off. Nearing the tower
the ranger was met by a
nearly breathless lookout
who asked why he hadn't responded to the messages on
his radio. A grizzly bear had been seen stalking the group
and the authorities
were trying to warn them of the danger.
Any time we turn out the
messages God has sent us
we put at peril not only ourselves
but also those
around us. How important it is that we never turn off God's saving
communication!
Harold M. Wiest
Power
for Living
p. 109.
My doctor had recommended
surgery and referred me to a specialist. Arriving early for my appointment
I
found the door unlocked and the young surgeon
deeply engrossed in reading
behind the receptionist's desk. When he didn't hear me come in
I cleared my
throat. Startled
he closed the book
which I recognized as a Bible. "Does
reading the Bible help you before or after an operation?" I asked. My
fears were dispelled by his soft
one-word answer: "During."
Eleanor Schmidt
in Reader's
Digest.
George Muller
who was
known for his strong faith
confided. "The first 3 years after conversion
I neglected the Word of God. Since I began to search it diligently
the
blessing has been wonderful. I have read the Bible through one hundred times
and always with increasing delight!" John Bunyan
who wrote Pilgrim's
Progress
testified
"Read the Bible
and read it again
and do not
despair of help to understand something of the will and mind of God
though you
think they are fast locked up from you. Neither trouble yourself
though you
may not have commentaries and expositions; pray and read
and read and pray;
for a little from God is better than a great deal from man."
Daily Bread
August 12
1992.
I would recommend you either
believe God up to the hilt
or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of
God
every letter of it
or else reject it. There is no logical standing place
between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the
deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is
poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith
and is not good
for much.
C.H. Spurgeon.
CAMELS BIBLE In 1832 an
edition had Rebekah leaving her tent to meet Isaac with a group of - not
damsels - but camels.
WIFE-HATER BIBLE An 1810
version read
"If any man come to me
and hate not . . . his own wife
(instead of :life")
he cannot be my disciple."
"SIN ON" BIBLE.
The first English-language Bible to be printed in Ireland
in 1716
encouraged
its readers to "sin on more" rather than "sin no more." A
similar error in 1653 had declared: "Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall inherit the kingdom of God?"
THE WICKED BIBLE of 1631
reported the Seventh Commandment as "Thou shalt commit adultery
" a
mistake that infuriated King Charles. He ordered all copies destroyed and fined
all printers whose hands had touched the edition.
MURDER'S BIBLE. This
19th-century faux pas had Mark 7:27 as "Let the children be killed"
instead of "filled."
PLACEMAKER BIBLE. a 16th
Century printer had Jesus blessing the "place-makers" instead of
"peacemakers." An American printer later substituted the
"Parable of the Vinegar" for the "Vineyard."
PRINTERS Bible. Perhaps
King David was on target in a 1702 edition
which quoted him as saying
"Printers (instead of "princes") have persecuted me without
cause.
When the preacher's car
broke down on a country road
he walked to a nearby roadhouse to use the phone.
After calling for a tow truck
he spotted his old friend
Frank
drunk and
shabbily dressed at the bar. "What happened to you
Frank?" asked the
good reverend. "You used to be rich." Frank told a sad tale of bad
investments that had led to his downfall. "Go home
" the preacher
said. "Open your Bible at random
stick your finger on the page and there
will be God's answer."
Some time later
the
preacher bumped into Frank
who was wearing a Gucci suit
sporting a Rolex
watch and had just stepped our of a Mercedes. "Frank." said the
preacher
"I am glad to see things really turned around for you."
"Yes
preacher
and I owe it all to you
" said Frank. "I opened
my Bible
put my finger down on the page and there was the answer -- Chapter
11."
Reader's Digest
March
1993
p. 71.
If someone asked you where
to find the Bible verse that begins
“For God so loved the world…you’d probably
know he was asking about John 3:16. If you had a Bible
you could find it for
him in no time. But there was a time when no one could find a single verse in
the whole Bible. There was no John 3:16
Genesis l:l or any other verse because
the Bible wasn’t divided into verses or even chapters. Worse yet
there were
hundreds of years when there weren’t even any word divisions. Punctuation
marks
capital letters and even vowels were omitted. In those days
if Genesis
had been written in English
it would have started:
NTHBGNNNGGDCRTDTHHVNSNDTHRTH.” You would have had to spend hours or days just
to find your favorite verse.
Words were divided by
Jesus’ time
but vowels weren’t used in Hebrew Old Testaments until the sixth
century A. D. Gradually
capitalization
punctuation and paragraphing worked
their way into the Old and New Testaments. But Bible chapters such as we have
today didn’t come into being until the 13th century. They were the work of
Stephen Langton
the Archbishop of Canterbury.
For the next 200 years
the Bible
now divided into chapters
continued to be copied by hand. Then in
1448
Rabbi Nathan startled the world by breaking the Old Testament into
verses. The New Testament wasn’t divided into numbered verses until 1551 when a
French printer
Robert Estienne did the job. He was planning a study Bible that
would have side-by-side columns in three translations when he got the idea. He
was so rushed for time he decided to do the dividing on a trip from Paris to
Lyons. Some people have suggested he did the work on horseback and his
sometimes awkward divisions resulted when his “jogging horse bumped his pen in
the wrong places.” Yet
with a few exceptions
Estienne’s divisions provide us
with the verses we have today.
So just as number of
people were used in writing of the Bible over a period of centuries
it was the
contribution of countless scribes
hundreds of years
and three men in particular—a
Catholic archbishop
a Jewish rabbi and a Protestant printer—who turned
“NTHBGNNNGGDCRTDTHHVNSNDTHRTH” into Genesis l:l.
Miller Clarke
Campus
Life
March
198l
p. 40.
The story has been told
about several famous preachers
but it actually happened to Joseph Parker
minister of the City Temple in London. An old lady waited on Parker in his
vestry after a service to thank him for the help she received from his sermons.
"You do throw such wonderful light on the Bible
doctor
" she said.
"Do you know that until this morning
I had always thought that Sodom and
Gomorrah were man and wife?"
Wycliffe Handbook of
Preaching & Preachers
Moody
1984
p. 213.
Suggestions: 1) The KJV is
too difficult and mentally taxing for many people. While this is not an
exhortation to drop the KJV from use
Christian leaders need to either use
translations appropriate to the audience
or facilitate people's understanding
of the KJV if they choose to use it. 2) Biblical illiteracy is at least as
large a problem to the Christian community as functional illiteracy is to the
nation as a whole. 3) Make the Scriptures more relevant and applicable to the
average person. When we teach from the Bible
we need to concentrate on practical
applicable lessons for life. In other words
we must provide people with useful
principles
rather than rigid laws. 4) Get people involved in small group Bible
studies.
Christianity Today
April 23
1990.
Pollster George Gallup Jr.
has long referred to America as a "nation of biblical illiterates."
Only four in 10 Americans know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. A
majority of citizens cannot name the four Gospels of the New Testament. Only
three in 10 teenagers know why Easter is celebrated. Two-thirds of Americans
believe there are few
if any
absolute principles to direct human behavior. A
new poll by the Barna Research Group suggests that religious illiteracy has
increased. For example
three out of four Americans (and nearly half of
"born-again" Christians) believe the Bible teaches that "God
helps those who help themselves." George Barna argues that self-reliance
is not only not scriptural
but that it contradicts revelation. Only God determines
a person's destiny
the pollster notes. To believe otherwise "exposes our
false theological cornerstone ?that we are the center of things
that it is up
to us to determine our destiny
and that God is merely our assistant ..."
A similar number of
born-again Christians deny the existence of the Holy Spirit and Satan. One in
five denies Jesus' physical resurrection and believes he was a sinner.
Earlier surveys of
mainline Protestants revealed that barely half of Lutherans
Methodists
and
Presbyterians believe in the devil
but 56 percent of Lutherans and 49 percent
of Methodists believe in UFOs. One-third of Methodists and Presbyterians have
faith in astrology. While nearly three-fourths of all Americans believe in
hell
hardly any believe it to be their likely destination in eternity.
The new Barna poll is
intended to help Christian pastors and groups focus their ministries. The sheer
number of "errant theological positions" among believers underscores
"the magnitude of the challenge facing churches today
" Barna notes.
University of Wisconsin
historian Thomas Reeves indicts popular religious belief and service.
"Christianity in modern America is
in large part
innocuous
" he
writes. "It tends to be easy
upbeat
convenient
and compatible. It does
not require self-sacrifice
discipline
humility
an otherworldly outlook
a
zeal for souls
a fear as well as love of God. There is little guilt and no
punishment
and the payoff in heaven is virtually certain."
Former Secretary of
Education William Bennett concludes that "We have become the kind of
society that civilized countries used to send missionaries to."
These are harsh judgments.
Perhaps we have been so busy pursuing the American Dream of the good life that
we have neglected to nurture the faith on which the Dream is founded. If so
our only fault is inattention. If at the millennium our common faith has
faltered
or has shriveled for lack of nourishment
or has been supplanted by
sentimentality
at least we have not succumbed to cynicism. Faith has not been
lost
only misplaced. As a people
we can retrieve it together.
David Yountd
Beggaring
Belief
?2000 Scripps Howard News Service. September 04
2000.
Which of the following
aren't in the Bible?
Cleanliness is next to
godliness
God helps those who help themselves
Confession is good for the soul
We are as prone to sin as sparks fly upward
Money is the root of all evil
Honesty is the best policy
None of the are!
Source Unknown.
"Why is it that the
vast majority of Christian believers remain largely unexposed to Christian
learning--to historical-critical studies of the Bible
the content and
structure of the great doctines
to two thousand years of classic works on the
Christian life
to basic disciplines of theology
biblical languages and
ethics? Why do bankers
lawyers
farmers
physicians
homemakers
scientists
salespeople
managers of all sorts
people who carry out all kinds of
complicated tasks in their work and home
remain in a literalist
elementary
school level in their religious understanding? How is it that high school age
church members move easily and quickly into the complex world of computers
foreign languages
DNA and calculus
and cannot even make a beginning in
historical-critical interpretation of a single text of Scripture? How is it possible
one can attend or even teach Sunday School for decades and at the end of that
lack the interpretive skills of someone who has taken three or four weeks in an
introductory course in the Bible at a university or seminary?"
Edward Farley
"Can
Church Education Be Theological Education"
Theology Today
July
1985.
A recent Barna Research
Group survey conducted among a random probability sample of 641 adults
demonstrated that many Americans have a woeful knowledge of the Bible. Among
Christians in the survey
22% thought there actually is a Book of Thomas in the
Bible
and 13% said they did not know whether Thomas is a book of the Bible or
not. 65% correctly stated that Thomas is not a book of the Bible. 61% knew that
Jonah is a book of the Bible
while 27% said it is not
and 12% had no idea.
Among non-Christians
only 29% knew that the Book of Jonah could be found in
the Bible
while 27% said it could not
and 34% were not sure. Three quarters
of the Christians surveyed knew that the Book of Isaiah is located in the O.T.
while 11% thought it is in the N.T.
and 13% did not know where Isaiah could be
found. Half of the non-Christians knew that Isaiah is located in the O.T.
61% of all Americans named
Bethlehem as the city where Jesus Christ was born. Among non-Christians
55%
knew Christ was born in Bethlehem. Seven out of 10 Christians answered this
question correctly
while 16% named Jerusalem as Jesus' birthplace
8% said it
was Nazareth
and 6% did not hazard a guess.
The question that gave the
most people trouble was "Is the expression 'God helps those who help
themselves' in the Bible?" Only 38% of all Christians correctly stated
that that phrase cannot be found anywhere in the Scriptures. Forty-two percent
thought that this was a Biblical quotation
and 20% had no idea. Among
non-Christians surveyed
40% said that axiom was part of the Word
26% knew it
was not
and 34% were not sure.
Why is there so much
ignorance about the Bible? Most likely
it comes from a lack of Bible
readership. Half of all Americans do not read the Bible. The majority of all
born-again Christians read the Bible once or twice a week
or not at all. The
survey found that only 18% of all Christians said they read the Word every day
while another 18% read the Bible between three and six days a week
37% read it
once or twice a week
and 23% said they do not read the Bible at all. Among
non- Christians
70% do not read the Bible. Is this because many people do not
own a Bible? No. Our research has shown that 93% of all American own at least
one Bible
and most own more than one.
A majority of Americans--8
out of 10--say that they are Christians
but only half that number know who
delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Most Americans think the Ten Commandments
are valid rules for living
but many have a rough time recalling exactly what
those rules are. Among teenagers
3 in 10 do not know the significance of
Easter for Christians; among teenagers who attend church regularly
2 in 10 do
not know it.
George Gallup
"Religion in America"
Leadership
Fall 1987.
A new survey conducted by
the Barna Research Group reveals widespread ignorance of common Christian
terms. Researchers asked a sample group of 1
210 adults to define Great
Commission
evangelical
John 3:16
and gospel. In each case
only a small
minority gave accurate answers. Even "born-again Christians" had
trouble answering.
Only 9 percent of the
respondents accurately defined Great Commission. About 75 percent of born-again
Christians could not offer a definition.
Eighteen percent of the
respondents correctly defined evangelical
with 57 percent of born-again
Christians unable to give a definition.
Twenty-five percent of the
respondents gave accurate or partially accurate descriptions of John 3:16
and
half of the born-again Christians could not offer a definition.
Thirty-seven percent of
the respondents correctly defined gospel
and 16 percent of born-again
Christians could not offer a definition.
These terms "clearly
do not convey the intended meaning to the masses
" concluded George Barna
president of Barna Research Group. "The fact that so few of the insiders
understand the meaning of these terms also suggests that the Christian church
in this country would be wise to invest in training people about the basic principles
and concepts of the Christian faith."
Moody
April
1994
p. 60.
Only three out of five
Christians could recall the names of the first four books of the New Testament
and only half of the Christians interviewed correctly identified Jesus as the
person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. A full 42 percent of the
Christians interviewed said that without the government's laws
there would be
no real guidelines for people to follow in daily life.
From a recent Gallup poll.
A candidate for church
membership was asked
"What part of the Bible do you like best?" He
said: "I like the New Testament best. Then he was asked
"What Book
in the New Testament is your favorite?" He answered
the Book of the
Parables
Sir." They then asked him to relate one of the parables to the
membership committee. And a bit uncertain
he began...
"Once upon a time a
man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho
and fell among thieves; and the thorns
grew up and choked the man. And he went on and met the Queen of Sheba
and she
gave that man
Sir
a thousand talents of silver
and a hundred changes of
raiment. And he got in his chariot and drove furiously
and as he was driving
along under a big tree
his hair got caught in a limb and left him hanging
here! And he hung there many days and many nights. The ravens brought him food
to eat and water to drink. And one night while he was hanging there asleep
his
wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair
and he fell on stoney ground. And
it begin to rain
and rained forty days and forty nights. And he hid himself in
a cave. Later he went on and met a man who said
"Come in and take supper
with me." But he said
"I can't come in
for I have married a
wife." And the man went out into the highways and hedges and compelled him
to come in! He then came to Jerusalem
and saw Queen Jezebel sitting high and
lifted up in a window of the wall. When she saw him she laughed
and he said
"Throw her down out of there
" and they threw her down. And he said
"Throw her down again
" and they threw her down seventy-times-seven.
And the fragments which they picked up filled twelve baskets full! NOW
whose
wife will she be in the day of the Judgment?" The membership committee
agreed that this was indeed a knowledgeable candidate!
Source Unknown.
The new minister was asked
to teach a boys' class in the absence of the regular teacher. He decided to see
what they knew
so he asked who knocked down the walls of Jericho. All the boys
denied having done it
and the preacher was appalled by their ignorance. At the
next deacons' meeting he told about the experience. "Not one of them knows
who knocked down the walls of Jericho
" he lamented. The group was silent
until finally one seasoned veteran of disputes spoke up. "Preacher
this
appears to be bothering you a lot. But I've known all those boys since they
were born and they're good boys. If they said they didn't know
I believe them.
Let's just take some money out of the repair and maintenance fund
fix the
walls
and let it go at that."
Source Unknown.
DAYS
OF SCRIPTURE.
Ⅰ. The Day of Jesus (John
8:56). The Day of Jesus is the day of His humiliation. It is of interest to
note that the human name “ Jesus” occurs twenty times in John 8. That day is
past.
Ⅱ. The Day of Man
(1.Cor.4:3
R.V.
margin). “ Man’s Day” is this present time
when man is
acting after his own natural desire
and according to the god of this age
(11.Cor.4:4
R.V. m.).
Ⅲ. The Day of Salvation. “
The Day of Salvation” (11. Cor.6:2) runs parallel with man’s day
for it is the
desire of God that those who will come out from the ranks of the world should
be saved by faith in Christ.
Ⅳ. The Day of Christ. “ The
Day of Christ” begins with Christ coming for His people
and ends with His
coming with them (Phil.1:6
10; 2:16; Eph.4:30).
Ⅴ. The Day of Lord. “ The
Day of Lord” begins with the Lord’s coming with His people
and extends to the
end of the millennium. Mark the expressions in the Old Testament
“ the day of
the Lord”; “in that day.”
Ⅵ. The Day of Judgment. “
The Day. Of Judgment” for the wicked dead is at the end of the millennium
as
described in Rev.20:11-15. See Matt.10:15; 11:22
24; 12:36; Rom.2:5; Jude 6.
Ⅶ. The Day of God. “ The Day
of God” is eternity (11. Peter 3:12)
when God will be all in all (1.
Cor.15:28).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
"GOD'S GREAT BOOK"
INTRODUCTION
1. When we contemplate the beauty and order of the creation... a. We see the glory of God through His handiwork - Psa 19:1 b. We see evidence of His power and deity - Ro 1:20 -- Perhaps we are moved to agree with the song
"How Great Thou Art!" 2. While the creation reveals much about God
it tells us nothing about... a. God's great gift of love and mercy b. God's great people that He wants us to become -- To learn of such things
we must look elsewhere 3. God has chosen to reveal this through His book
the Bible... a. Is this book equal to the task? b. You would expect a great God to give us a great book; has He? -- Indeed He has! By His Spirit
He inspired a book capable of accomplishing great things! [For example
let's just start with one portion of the Bible...] I. HOW GREAT IS THE OLD TESTAMENT!
A. IN THE DAYS OF DAVID... 1. A guide for true happiness - Psa 1:1-3 2. The virtues of God's word praised a. It converts the soul - Psa 19:7a b. It makes wise the simple - Psa 19:7b c. It rejoices the heart - Psa 19:8a d. It enlightens the eyes - Psa 19:8b e. It endures forever - Psa 19:9a f. It is true and righteous altogether - Psa 19:9b g. Making it more desirable than gold
sweeter than honey - Psa19:10-11
3. The value of God's word contemplated a. Helps the young man cleanse his way - Psa 119:9 b. Guards the heart against sin - Psa 119:11 c. Makes one wiser than his enemies - Psa 119:97-98 d. Gives one more understanding than his teachers and the ancients - Psa 119:99-100 e. A lamp and a light to guide one's way - Psa 119:105 e. Provides great peace to those who love it - Psa 119:165 -- This is the value of just a small portion of God's Word
available during the days of David (perhaps the books ofGenesis to Ruth)
B. IN THE DAYS OF PAUL... 1. A source of patience and comfort
imparting hope to the Christian - Ro 15:4 2. Serving as examples
written for our admonition - 1 Co 10:11 3. As with all Scripture inspired of God
profitable in many ways - 2 Ti 3:14-17 a. Making one wise regarding salvation by faith in Christ b. Useful for doctrine
reproof
correction
instruction in righteousness c. Helping the man of God to become complete
equipped for every good work -- Christians may not be under the Old Covenant
but it remains animportance source for truth and happiness
[If such is true regarding the Old Testament
how much more so when wehave the complete and final revelation from God! In other words...] II. HOW GREAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT!
A. IT IS A LIVING WORD... 1. The Word of God is living and powerful - He 4:12a 2. The Word of God is piercing
discerning - He 4:12b -- This is because it is the sword of the Spirit
the instrument by which He convicts the world of sin
righteousness
andjudgment! - cf. Jn 16:7-8; Ep 6:17
B. IT IS A LIFE-GIVING WORD... 1. The Word of God can save our souls - Ja 1:21 2. The Word of God can produce rebirth and spiritual growth - 1 Pe1:23-2:3
-- This is because of the power contained in the gospel of Christ- cf. Ro 1:16-17
C. IT IS A LIFE-GUIDING WORD... 1. Producing the faith necessary for our walk in life - 2 Co 5:7;Ro 10:17
2. Equipping the saint for every good work - 2 Ti 3:16-17 -- As Jesus quoted in response to Satan's temptation: "Man shall not live by bread alone
but by every word that proceeds fromthe mouth of God." - Mt 4:4
[There should be no question that God's book is great! It fulfills ourgreatest need
and gives us our greatest hope. But let us consider...] III. HOW GREAT IS OUR RESPONSE?
A. IS OUR RESPONSE WORTHY...? 1. Many people (including Christians) are "Biblically illiterate"! 2. Like Israel - cf. Amo 8:11-14 a. Israel b. Our famine is self-imposed by our own neglect! c. The effect is still the same! 1) Our young people faint from thirst! 2) They fall
and do not rise again! 3. For many
they feed upon an "unbalanced diet"! a. E.g.
reading only select passages
often ignoring the Old Testament b. E.g.
reading only to prove themselves right and others wrong -- Is "God's Great Book" worthy of such a tepid response? No! B. WHAT IS A WORTHY RESPONSE...? 1. We must properly value God's Word a. More valuable than gold and silver - Psa 119:72 b. As precious as great treasure - Psa 119:162 -- Do we consider God's Word of greater value than money? 2. We must diligently read God's Word a. With an attitude of longing - Psa 119:131; 1 Pe 2:2 b. With an intention to obey - Ja 1:21-22 c. With a prayer on our lips and in our hearts - Psa 119:18
133 -- A consistent program of daily Bible reading in this spiritis a worthy response to God's great book!
CONCLUSION
1. Contemplating God's creation produces the response: How Great Thou Art! a. God is a Being of great power b. God is a Being of great intelligence 2. Contemplating God's book produces a similar response: How Great Thou Art! a. God is a Being of great wisdom and understanding b. God is a Being of great love and compassion c. God is a Being of great justice and righteousness 3. I pray that our study has done at least two things... a. Increased your appreciation for "God's Great Book" b. Stimulated your desire to be more diligent in your response to it 1) More diligent in your reading of it 2) More diligent in your obedience to it "So now
brethren
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace
which is able to build you up and give you an inheritanceamong all those who are sanctified." (Ac 20:32)
Let "God's Great Book" build you up
that you may receive that wonderful"inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away
reserved in heaven for you." (1 Pe 1:4)
－－《Executable
Outlines》